


The Elder Scrolls: Dovahkiin's Call

by Eodem



Series: The Elder Scrolls: Dovahkiin's Call [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Chaptered, College of Winterhold - Freeform, College of Winterhold Questline, Companions, Companions Questline, Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, Dark Brotherhood Questline, Elder Scrolls Lore, Fanfiction, Gen, High Fantasy, Imperials, Novelization, Series, Skyrim Civil War, Skyrim Main Quest, Stormcloaks, Thalmor, Thalmor Embassy, Thieves Guild, Thieves Guild Questline, dragon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-02-26 19:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18723325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eodem/pseuds/Eodem
Summary: The High King of Skyrim has been killed and the return of dragons foretells the end to all of Tamriel. The Dragonborn must rise amidst the chaos of a civil war to come out on top and defeat The World Eater; Alduin.





	1. Meeting of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> This is a novelization of the story using multiple characters to craft a proper flow of events. I'm just looking for honest feedback and criticism to improve.

# Chapter 1

## Meeting of Fate

 

 

 

 

###             Einar

 

 

 

 

 

   The night air of Skyrim was warm around Eastmarch's hot springs. The clear skies displayed Tamriel's two beautiful moons, the large red Massar and small white Secunda, both showing off lovely crescent shapes. Plenty of animals roamed around these woods making it a good hunting spot so long as the Stormcloaks weren't making too much noise passing by. Einar sought shelter for the night after a long day of hunting that led him far away from his cabin. His muscles showcased a dedication to fighting that fit snug in his hide armor, iron boots and gauntlets. His dirty blonde hair fell to his shoulders, two enrapturing eyes of blue peered forward, always filled with determination, the air around him radiated heroism. He was a true Nord, a race that made up the majority of Skyrim's population. Upon his back were the carcasses of rabbits and a deer slung over and tied. He was out all day collecting any game he could find as the meat sold good near his cabin nestled between  the Capital of Eastmarch; Windhelm, and Kynesgrove where the Braidwood Inn was. He was far from the Inn and he wasn't about to try his luck walking that distance at night, Giants were too often seen on these roads and people told stories of a Hagraven that nested in Witchmist Grove. He felt it'd be better to set up camp at a nearby mining settlement called Darkwater Crossing, he could get some rest until sunrise and he knew the people there well.

   

   The Settlement wasn't anything to tell tales about. A bridge connected the place to the only road in and out, one large house sat in front of the mines entrance where the Nordic couple Verner Rock-Chucker and Anekke Crag-Jumper lived. They gave shelter to any of the fellow miners and celebrated for the holidays inside, the residents would mostly sit around the campfire by the river at night. Stormcloaks frequently watched over these parts so it was safe from wild animals and bandits, but that came at the cost of horses trotting and men shouting during the night hours. Einar sat by the campfire which was surrounded by tents of the miners. They greeted him by name and he kindly greeted back while taking off his iron armor pieces before setting up a tent of his own. Einar met eyes with a young woman he didn’t recognize, she averted her gaze toward the ground when she realized he was staring at her. She was hunched over and shivering underneath the blanket of her bed roll. She didn't look like a miner-type. Judging by how ragged her clothes were his best guess was that she was a drifter. Einar listened in on the conversation they were having with the woman

   "So you're an adventurer then?" Anekke asked. "You and Einar here may share something in common, he once helped Darkeethus after he decided to go swimming too close to a Falmer infested cave."

   "I won't be going up anymore waterfalls again either." The leathery skinned Argonian, Darkeethus, chuckled.

   "She's probably more like our daughter; Sylgja.” Anekke's husband, Verner said.  “You can't just assume every adventurer is out to throw their lives away for just any fool."

   "You're probably right.” Anekke replied. “Your clothes look really beaten and worn. I can tell they looked pretty at one point. You must have been out here for a while, you look dustier than us miners."

   "I'm actually not from Skyrim." The girl finally spoke.

   She was a small Imperial probably barely out of her teens, Her eyebrows showed a strong sense of worry that her large silver eyes complimented. Just from looking at her Einar could tell this girl was going through a rough time. She had large bags under her eyes and matted dark brown hair hung in knots over her face. She appeared as though she hadn't seen a bath in ages. It was obvious that the dagger she was carrying was used to cut the length of her hair near her chin. She wore a torn up green dress, and an Amulet of Kynareth, one of the Nine Divines, around her neck. The only true piece of protection she had were a pair of heavily worn leather boots.

   "Where do you come from?" Einar asked, finally relaxing himself on his bedroll.

   The girl hesitated at first like she had forgotten. "I'm from Cyrodiil." She said.

   "You got a name?" Einar asked.

   "Tacita.” She muttered out, “Tacita Oriana.” her grip tightened on her blanket.

   "That's a pretty name!" A young Nord girl named Hrefna said.

   "And what are you still doing awake, child?" Hrefna's mother, Tormir said.

   Hrefna lied back down and pretended to be asleep.

   Tormir turned her attention back to Tacita "All that dirt on your face, you look like you haven't taken a days rest since crossing the border."

   Tacita didn’t respond.

   "I don't know how you crossed over the mountains without freezing to death.” Einar said.  “Only life up there are wolves and wraiths. But either way, Skyrim isn't like Cyrodiil, you'll want to put some iron on at least your arms. The wilds up here are a lot harsher than they are in Cyrodiil, a sabrecat would tear right through that leather."

   A rustle in the bushes made Tacita jump, Einar made himself wary of her disposition. Her actions were off putting, especially by the way she responded to questions and her outward nervousness. This girl might be involved in some heavy crime, he thought to himself.

   "I'm sure we have some equipment here that we could give you for the road." A Dark Elf named Sondis said.

   Sondis trailed on about how dangerous Skyrim could be, Einar noticed Anneke's focus was toward the road. He followed her eyes to see she was watching a group of men garbed in sashes, quilted leather cuirasses and chain mail. While this was a common armor of Hold guards, these men were more than that. They wore blue sashes not solely to represent Windhelm, but also for a rebellious cause that had them dubbed The Stormcloaks. They arrived on horseback with their leader Ulfric Stormcloak, the very man that the Stormcloaks got their names from. He was tall Nord, green eyes, blonde hair, and a neatly kept goatee. His skin was pale from Windhelm's freezing weather conditions. Unlike his blue clad Stormcloak army, Ulfric wore dark neutral colors, fitted with a heavy fur trimmed coat that covered his plated armor, steel bracers, and shin guards. Many would argue he's what every Nord should strive to be but Einar saw him differently.

   Ulfric began the Storrmcloak rebellion twenty-five years ago, 4E 176, as a way to fight back against The Thalmor. The Thalmor were mostly made up of High Elves that ruthlessly pushed to rule out one of the most renown of the Nine Divines; Talos. He was said to have been a man named Tiber Septim who in the Second Era became the one who unified Cyrodiil, then Tamriel, and later became a God. The Thalmor saw his lineage as an affront to the original Eight Divines and had taken the initiative in outlawing Talos worship all across Tamriel. Emperor Titus Mede II of Cyrodiil was forced to sign a peace treaty called the White Gold Concordat, which greatly favored The Thalmor. The treaty could have been avoided if The Thalmor didn’t take advantage of an attack two hundred years ago in the Third Era dubbed the Oblivion Crisis that spanned across all of Tamriel. Led by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, assisted by a now forgotten cult called the Mythic Dawn, Dagon was successfully able enter the mortal realm. He was eventually defeated by Cyrodiil's Champion; Nero Stasius and Martin Septim, who risked his own life. The event not only ended the Septim bloodline as Dagon wanted, but also left Cyrodiil and its army in shambles making them an easy target throughout the years.

    During the Great War with the Thalmor, The Emperor was left with the choice to surrender, or have his Kingdom felled. This so called peace treaty allowed The Thalmor to push their anti-Talos laws across all of Tamriel. This enabled the massacres of organizations such as The Blades that used to protect the Septim Bloodline of Emperors.  Ulfric's cause was noble, but his past deeds and practices were highly questionable, especially when it came to races outside of the Nords. A Hold Jarl’s arrival would be welcoming, however Skyrim was in the midst of a civil war, the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Army which were sent to Skyrim to back up The Thalmor and put an end to the rebellion. To see Ulfric here so far from Windhelm didn't sit well with Einar. He slipped back on his iron in response to the tightness in his chest.

   "What's going on?" Tacita asked.

   Einar got up and called out to them. "Is everything alright Jarl Ulfric?"

   Ulfric put up his hand to stop his men "We seek shelter, nothing more." He answered.

   "We don't have room for all of your men here, my Jarl." Verner objected as kindly as he could.

   "We don't plan to stay for long, we only need rest for a moment." Ulfric removed himself from his horse and his men followed.

   When the last man touched the dirt the quiet camp changed in tone to the eruption of heavy footsteps. It was an imperial ambush, they came from behind the bushes, the trees, and the rocks. The imperials weren't wearing their bulky plate armor this night, only studded leather. The stormcloaks all readied their weapons. Anekke led the miners inside her house. Einar stood up, and though he didn't agree with the carnage that came with a civil war, he believed in the God Talos and protecting his home. He drew his blade, then chaos erupted to the sound of hammers hitting flesh, swords clashing, and shouting that filled the once peaceful night.

   Einar was able to hold his own with just his steel blade, but the Stormcloaks weren't fairing well against the imperials. The ambush quickly turned into a bloodbath. It had never been this hard for a group of Imperials to be taken down, Cyrodiil wasn’t sending their best warriors in, which was their way of rebelling against The Thalmor. This group was different, better trained, better tactics, they were overpowering the Stormcloaks. If the fight kept up, everyone would find their end.

   "Enough!" Ulfric shouted out causing both sides to stop fighting. "If you want us, we will come. Only a fool would continue to fight a losing battle."

   Horses and carriages came circling around the camp after Ulfric called his surrender. Just how many imperials were here? Einar wondered. The imperials started to bind those on the field, even Tacita, who was only cowering away from the fighting, was put in custody. A war hardened man slowly trotted through the soldiers surrounding the camp and got off his horse before calmly walking up to Ulfric who was now bound and gagged. He wore eccentric leather armor baring the Imperial Insignia of a dragon, his stern face and short grey hair fit him well.

   "Do you know who I am?" He asked staring face to face with Ulfric.

   Ulfric had no response.

   "I'm General Tullius. I've been sent by Emperor Titus Mede II to quell the rebellion here."

   Several more Imperials came out of the woods.

   "We found these two sneaking around the camp.” One of them said.  “Can't tell if they're Stormcloaks or thieves, sir."

   They'd captured a Khajiit with white fur, and a woman wearing a mask.

   "Tie them up and throw them into a carriage too." General Tullius said.

   "What about the people in the house, sir?" An imperial asked.

   "We'll leave them for The Thalmor." General Tullius replied. "We've got no more time to waste. Knock em out and let's get moving, I don't want any of them resisting their fates."

   He hopped onto his horse and trotted away. The Imperials began using the force General Tullius commanded.. Stormcloaks began dropping faster than Einar could think, his face met the blunt end of a sword.


	2. When Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being captured at Darkwater Crossing, Einar awakened to find himself being transported in a carriage surrounded by Imperials.

 

 

# Chapter 2

 

##  **When Worlds Collide**

###             Einar

 

 

 

 

 

 

    When Einar came to his vision was blurred. His eyes attempted to adjust to the light of day. He heard horses trotting, and felt the carriage vibrating underneath him, the wind blew through his hair. He was staring at the back of an imperial soldier and heading downhill, he couldn't tell where to. There were Stormcloaks in the carriage behind him, ahead of him, and General Tullius was far up front.

 

 

Einar looked around to acquaint himself with his fellow prisoners. A Stormcloak with long blonde hair and a large nose sat across from him, Ulfric sat by the carriage exit, and a brown haired Nord in rags was across from him. Next to Einar was the masked woman the imperials had caught. Her body was encased in a black belted trench coat with the boots and fingerless gloves to match as though she were hiding from the sun. her black shoulder-length hair was well taken care of. She glanced at Einar and he quickly looked away. Her eyes stayed in his head, glowing red like an insatiable hunger resided in them.  
    Across from her was the Khajiit who looked very relaxed in his black robe given the situation. His fur and slit eyes were white as the snow, save for the black stripes that lined the top of his head. No hair nor beard was styled, only fur that hid scars underneath. An eyepatch covered his left eye, two long teeth protrude from his mouth much longer than any Khajiit Einar had seen. The Khajiit gave a sly grin to Einar. Next to him was Tacita her mouth tied, eyes covered, and her arms and legs sprung up together by steel chains, She was bound more than the rest.  
     
   "Hey you." The Blonde across from Einar said. "You're finally awake, we got caught up in a mess back there, eh?" 

   Einar nodded and leaned back in the carriage. Heavy fog with an overcast, the scent of the icey morning dew flaked his nostrils. 

   "We walked right into that ambush, that thief over there was picked up a little while ago trying to steal a horse." The Blonde positioned his bound wrist so he could point to the man sitting next to Tacita. 

   The Thief did a double take as if he was in disbelief someone was talking to him. "Damn you Stormcloaks," He cursed. "Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell by now." He looked at Einar. "You there... you and me, we shouldn't be here it's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants.” 

   "Were all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief." The Blonde said.

   "You're a whiny character." The Red Eyed Woman said. "Shouldn't Nords head to their deaths with pride?" 

   "I'm not even supposed to be-" The Thief started to raise his voice making the carriage driver turn around and tell him to be quiet. The Thief dropped to a whisper, "I'm starting to think all of you people belong here." 

   The Red Eyed Woman rolled her eyes at the hypocrisy of his words. 

   "And what's wrong with him huh?" The Thief nodded his head toward Ulfric who continued staring at the passing road. 

   "Watch your tongue!” The Blonde demanded. “You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King."

   The Thief's head jerked back after he heard this. "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You're the leader of the rebellion. But if they've captured you..."  He pushed his head between his knees. "Oh Gods, where are they taking us?" 

   The Khajiit smiled at The Thief's anguish. "Death beckons the fearing, and the fearless. A Khajiit such as Jy'ma prefers to leave this world with a smile." 

   "No this can't be happening, this isn't happening!" The Thief cried. 

   "Hey, what village are you from horse thief?" The Blonde politely asked. 

   The Theif looked up and clasped his hands. "Why do you care?"  

   "A Nord's last thoughts should be of home."

   "Rorikstead, I'm..from Rorikstead." 

   The Thief went silent and seemed to be praying to himself. 

   "It would seem we still have time before our exit of this world." Jy'ma said. 

   "Why is that girl chained up?" Einar finally spoke, motinoing his bounded hands toward Tacita.

   "This one had a wanted poster, she was constrained as much as they could. She did not even resist." Jy'ma said "The imperials say she illegally crossed the border after she murdered her family. Mother, father and brother. The hunger of a natural killer." 

   He moved over to smell Tacita. She flinched hard and froze. Jy'ma placed his chin on her shoulder, his long teeth rubbed against her skin. 

   "This one reeks of dog. A very dirty dog. Jy'ma would not recommend intimacy with animals." 

   Tacita began shaking, the chains rattled to her pulsation. 

   "Enough cat, you don't need to scare her anymore than she is." The Red Eyed Woman said. 

   Jy'ma gave a grin back at her. "A familiar presence from this one. Like me, the air around the girl is cold. Dare I say sinister?" Jy'ma leaned toward her. "This one's eyes, how unnatural. This mask, those eyes. I know you--Myrna Etoile." 

   Myrna continued glaring at him.

   Jy'ma relaxed back into his seat. "You are planning an escape already I bet. A Bloodline like yours, too royal for the chains." He let out a loud laugh. "We are quite the band of criminals are we not? Two vampires, a smelly dog lady, Stormcloaks, a usurper, a thief, and a common man!" 

   Jy'ma belonged on this carriage more than anyone, Einar thought. 

   "General Tullius, sir!" An imperial shouted from ahead. Everybody in the carriage looked up to see the gates of a town overrun by imperials. "The headsman is waiting!" 

   As the gates opened General Tullius' voice was heard telling his men to hurry up. 

   "Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me!" The Thief whined and started acting erratically as they passed under the village gates. 

   Two High Elf women dressed in gold trimmed black robes with their guards were waiting inside the entrance at their horses. General Tullius parked his horse in front of them. As the carriage entered the town, it slowed to almost a halt. 

   "Look at him, General Tullius, the Military governor." The Blonde said. "And The Thalmor are with him. Damn elves, I bet they had something to do with this."

   Einar could faintly hear them speaking over The Blonde who explained they were at a small village called Helgen. 

   Einar’s gaze at the High Elves was interrupted by Jy’ma’s voice. "Elenwen is the taller one," He said. "and the ever so slightly shorter one is quite a sight--even for those who are not fond of the golden elves. Her name is Vallinya. Jy’ma can hear them arguing, it would seem The Thalmor want custody of us, but the General wants our heads. Either way, we are food for the dirt." 

"Thalmor bitch." The Blonde cursed before putting a concerned look on. "Funny, when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe."

   Einar heard a young boy speaking to his father behind them before telling the child to go inside, the boy protested at first but obeyed. Probably for the best. The carriages moved a bit further into the village until Imperials signaled for their horses to stop near the rest of the carriages that had arrived first. Rain poured down on the crowd as the Imperials gathered in front of the halted carriages. Freezing cold drops splashed from one body to the next. 

The sound of metal boots rustled through the forming mud and a woman wearing steel plated Imperial Captain Armor started shouting orders.  "Get those prisoners out of the carts, move it!"

   "Why are we stopping?" The Thief exclaimed. 

   "Why do you think? End of the road." The Blonde replied. 

   "Try not to do anything stupid." Myrna’s annoyed voice left her as she stood up. 

   "Shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us."

   "No! Wait! We're not rebels!" The Thief pleaded. 

   "A Nord should feel honored for a chance at Sovngarde." Jy'ma jested before kindly helping Tacita to her feet. 

   "You've got to tell them we weren't with you this is a mistake!" 

   The prisoners all exited the carriage The Thief's pleas fell on deaf ears while the rest scrambled to keep together.

   "Step forward when we choose you, and state your name." The Captain barked. 

   "Empire loves their damn lists." The Blonde grunted. 

   A young Nordic man with medium length brown hair and dopey eyes stood by The Captain, a quill and book in his hands. Though he had a decent amount of muscle, he didn't seem like he had seen many battles. A few men like the list holder were lined by the other carriages awaiting The Captain's next order.  
     
   "First in line!" The Captain shouted as she paced up and down the line of Stormcloaks.

   Ulfric stepped forward as one of the first volunteers from Einar’s carriage.

   “Ulfric Stormcloak,” The List Holder said squeamishly. “Jarl of Windhelm. Guilty of murder and high treason. Sentenced to death." 

   Ulfric gracefully walked over to Helgen’s square with a crowd of his men who had already been called. 

   "It has been an honor, Jarl Ulfric." The Blonde lamented. 

   “Next Prisoner.” The List Holder called.

   The Blonde turned to Einar and smiled before stepping forward. "Ralof, proud son of Skyrim." He heartily said, then swiftly walked to join the others. 

   "Stormcloak..sentenced to death. Next.”

   The Thief hurried up to the List Holder. "Lokir, and I'm not a Stormcloack." 

   "You're in the carriage with Stormcloaks—so you're a Stormcloak." The Captain said. 

   Lokir glanced to the left and right then turned to Einar and gave him the saddest look he'd ever seen on a grown man. Without a second thought he darted up the road yelling, "I only stole a horse! I'm not a rebel!"   
   "Halt!" The Captain shouted. 

   "You can't do this!"

   The captain shook her head and raised her arm. "Archers!" 

   When her words rung through the air, several imperials raised their bows toward Lokir, followed by a shower of arrows that all successfully hit his body. Lokir slid face first into the mud, dead. 

   The Captain turned back to the prisoners straight faced. "Anyone else feel like running?" 

   After no response The List Holder continued. Einar was next. He walked toward The List Holder, his chest pounded with each breath.

   "Name?" The List Holder requested. 

   Einar was so distracted by his heartbeat he forgot to say his name. "Einar." he choked out.

   "Stormcloak, sentenced to death." The List Holder said. 

Einar walked past The Captain and The List Holder to stand by Ralof and Ulfric he knew he'd be charged as a Stormcloak, but even so he felt he was right in defending them.

   After what seemed like forever everybody’s name had been called, Tacita was walked toward the Stormcloaks by The Captain. A hulking Headsman overlooked the Stormcloaks by the chopping block. He stood at least three heads taller than everybody else, a leathery black hood shielded his face, chainmail over a black sleeveless tunic that fell past his fur greaves. His axe was larger than even him. A Priestess in brown hooded robes stood calmly by the Headsman, with a holy book in her arms. 

   Before the heads could start rolling, General Tullius walked over to Ulfric one last time. Their rain soaked faces were inches from each other. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like The Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne."

   Ulfric futilely tried to mumble through his gag.

   "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace!" 

   As General Tullius turned away a screeching noise split the air. 

   "What was that?" The List Holder asked. 

   Tullius's eyes shift around the sky. "It's nothing. Carry on."

   "Yes, General Tullius." The Captain said. She turned to face the Priestess. "Give them their rights." 

   The priestess raises her arms to the sky and begins her speech "As we commend your souls to Aetherius, bless-" 

   "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." a Stormcloak cut her off and rushed to the chopping block. He knelt himself down to the wood. "Come on, I haven't got all morning!" 

   The Headsman looks at the captain and she shrugs. He lifted his axe high in the sky 

   “My ancestors are smiling at me Imperials! Can you say the same?” 

   The headsman let's his axe drop clean onto the man's neck blood squirts from out of the slimy hole where his head used to hang.

   A few people winced and gasped at the brutality. The captain kicked his body off the block, one of The Stormcloaks shouted at the imperials. The watchers in Helgen shouted profanities and death wishes to The Stormcloaks in return. 

   "As fearless in death as he was in life." Ralof said amidst the chaos of shouting villagers.

   The Captain scoured over the crowd of Stormcloaks. "Next!" She pointed to Jy'ma. "The cat!" 

   The same screech from before echoed throughout the sky once more. Einar felt the ground rumble beneath him a bit, whatever it was it was getting closer. He never heard any animal sound like that, but his hunter instincts let him know it was massive. 

   "There it is again. Did you hear that?" The List Holder said. 

   "I said next prisoner." The Captain said.

   "To the block prisoner. Nice and easy." The List Holder said 

   Jy'ma strutted over to the block.  "Do make the cut straight for me, would you?" he morbidly jested.

   The Captain, clearly annoyed, forced Jy'ma to his knees and held him down by her foot. Lightning flashed through the sky behind a mountain. For a moment Einar caught a glimpse of what looked to be the outline of a winged animal. The Headsman raised his axe to remove Jy'ma's head but halted to the sound of an ear scraping roar that harassed everyone’s ears. A horrific winged beast arrived and circling overhead, the storm made it impossible to tell just what it was. 

   "What in Oblivion is that!?" General Tullius yelled. 

   “Sentries, what do you see?” The Captain asked.

   The beast crashed onto the nearest tower nearly toppling it as it sways to the weight, knocking debris to the crowd below. The ground shook from how heavy it was, The Headsman even fell over almost killing himself with his own axe. An enormous lizard-like beast, with beady red eyes, fully coated in black scales, two legs and oversized bat wings for arms perched on top of Helgen's tower. It stared directly at Einar, time itself felt like it had completely stopped. His trance was broken by the citizens erupting into wails of terror.

“By the Gods, It’s a Dragon!” The List Holder shouted. 

   The dragon opened its mouth to unleash a powerful roar, the clouds circled the sky creating a cyclone sending the rain upwards, the world grew darker while the dragon’s intense eyes grew brighter. Meteors spawned through the clouds, the massive fireballs lit the skies and pummeled Helgen. The emotions from the villagers caused even more pandemonium; panic, crying, praying and screaming for their lives tripping over each other as they tried to find shelter. Einar watched as a meteor fell directly on top of the headsman, the impact was powerful enough to push Jy'ma away from the chopping block. 

   "Don't just stand there, kill that thing!” General Tullius barked. “Guards get the townspeople to safety!” 

   At this moment whether Stormcloak or Imperial, the Civil War was forgotten, and the soldiers became one large team. Einar ripped off the wraps around Tacita's eyes and mouth then pulled at her to follow him. She kept up as best she could, her chains rattled with every step. Ralof beckoned everybody into a nearby tower away from the dragon. Fire bursted from its mouth scorching Helgen’s buildings. Ralof was able to get Jy'ma to his feet and bring him inside with the rest. Einar hurried Tacita along, the two made it into the tower before the Dragon could make another round to the square. Some Stormcloaks had broken limbs from being hit by the meteors and were clutching at their wounds in the safety of the tower. Einar was able to catch his breath, Jy'ma went around cutting the binds off the prisoners with his claws. 

   "You are lucky for one such as me to be helping you, though if your legs are broken I cannot do much." Jy'ma said as he cut Einar's hands free. 

   "Jarl Ulfric! What is that thing? Could the legends be true?" Ralof questioned. 

   "Legends don't burn down villages." Ulfric said.

   Ralof looks around the tower seeing his comrades heavily wounded. "What about the rest?”

   "They're hurt, but they'll live." a Stormcloaks says reassuring Ralof. "Another second out there with the dragon, and they'd be dead..." 

   Ralof looked to Einar and they both agreed to head upstairs. Tacita, Jy'ma, and a few other Stormcloaks followed. The Stormcloaks were quicker than the three and quickly climbed the flight of stairs, they were stopped by the rubble that had fallen and attempted to remove it. Just before Einar geached the top of the first flight, the Dragon smashed its head through the tower, the debris from the broken wall crushed the few Stormcloaks. The dragon attempts to breath fire on Einar, but he moved out of the way, the flames engulfed the corpses of the Stormcloaks instead and the dragon flew off.

   Ralof headed up to the freshly made hole in the tower, after confirming the dragon was gone he waved for Einar and the others to follow. 

   "See the Inn on the other side?" Ralof pointed at a building that was left mangled by the dragon’s attacks. "Jump through the roof and keep going! Go! We'll follow when we can!" Ralof turned his attention to order the second wave of Stormcloaks back downstairs. 

   Jy'ma leapt through without hesitation, Tacita stopped to assess the distance of the jump. The Dragon appeared once more and was making a run directly for them. Einar grabbed hold of Tacita and forced them both over the edge as the dragon’s fire spewed toward the tower. They barrelled through the hay of the roof and crashed through wooden beams before slamming onto the floorboard. The adrenaline of the chase allowed Einar to get back on his feet, he helped Tacita up and led her to a broken chunk of floor giving them access downstairs and to the back exit of the Inn. 

    after making it onto the streets. The List Holder was with a crowd of people directing them away from the dragon. A boy was out in the open with what must have been his father lying on the ground bleeding and begging his son to run along with the few other villagers. The boy barely made it over before the dragon landed next to his father. Before the man could even speak, the dragon burned him alive, and he was lost to shouts of anguish.

   "Torolf!" The List Holder shouted and rushed toward the child to carry him to safety, "Gods... everyone get back!"   
    
   The dragon flew overhead, Einar and Tacita shuffled over by the other villagers, but there was barely any cover under the house for all of them. 

   The List Holder looked at the two. "Still alive, prisoners? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy. I have to find General Tullius and join their defense." 

   Einar beckoned Tacita and continued to help her along. 

   "Gods guide you Hadvar," the old Nord Gunnar said.

   The three neared a wall and Hadvar spotted the dragon "Stay close to the wall!" he yelped as he pushed the two against it. 

   They ducked down as the Dragon swept overhead. It’s wings swatted the embers toward the ground as it descended onto the wall. The dragon’s wing obscured Einar’s view, its talon was larger than a dagger and only inches from his face. Some imperials soldiers tried to assist but the dragon spewed fire onto them before it took to the sky again. The three moved through a few burnt down buildings creating a shortcut to the city gates where a league of imperials aimed upward trying to shoot the dragon, a few of them were already on the ground, burning or dead.   
     
   "On me prisoners, stay close!" Hadvar said. 

   The Dragon soared close to the ground and grabbed an imperial soldier taking them up with it before they were  flung even higher. The Imperial helplessly screamed before his body splattered onto the gravel road. Hadvar rushed over to The Keep of Helgen and waved Einar over. He grabbed Tacita and pressed on until Ralof appeared from out of a burning building.

   "Ralof! You damn traitor. Out of my way!" Hadvar shouted.

   Einar pulled Tacita over to Ralof since he trusted him more than Hadvar, who was willing to send them to the chopping block, Stormcloak or not.

   "We're escaping Hadvar. You're not stopping us this time!" Ralof shouted. 

  "Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!" Hadvar shouted as he rushed off to join the Imperials in combat further in the town.

   Ralof moved toward The Keep and called out to Einar and Tacita to move inside. Underneath the protection of the keep the dragon's wails continued to echo through the halls.  _The keep may be reinforced, but how strong must it be to hold off a dragon?_  Einar pondered.

   The place was dark and damp, little light came off of the candles hanging from the cracked walls. Large chunks from the support beams were broken off, but Einar couldn’t decipher if the dragon caused the breaks, or if it was just poor structure of the keep. Jy'ma and Ufric were hovering over the dead bodies of a Stormcloak and two Imperials.

    Jy’ma turned toward the three, "Sorry, your friend did not make it.” He knelt down with the corpses. “Though I am not one for the brutal nature of the axe, it shall do.” Jy'ma pulled out an axe lodged in the neck of an Imperial and wiped off the blood.

   Ulfric panned around the room with a disappointed scowl. "This is it eh? Nobody else made it?" 

   "No my Jarl," Ralof said. "At least not this way. That thing was a dragon, no doubt. Just like the children's stories and the legends. The harbingers of the End Times."  
   "No time to think of that now. Let's get the girl unshackled." Ulfric said. “We’ll all need to work together to get out alive.”

   Ralof moved toward Tacita and grabbed at her chains. He turned to J'yma and focused on his weapon. "An axe would be perfect to break these." Ralof gently pushed Tacita to a kneel. "Lay your chains as close to the ground as you can. Lend me that axe, Khajiit." 

   Jy'ma handed his weapon to Ralof and he steadied it upon Tacita's chains making a few slow strokes to make sure his aim was on point. Ready to swing, he raised the axe and struck, Tacita let out a whimper, the chains rattled and bounced from the impact, but it was not enough force to break through. "One more time, hold steady!" Ralof said as he lifted the axe up again. With all of the strength he could muster, he slammed down on the metal and snapped the chains apart like firewood. 

    Tacita shook from the fear of an axe chopping near her arms, but seemed relieved to able to freely move again.

    Ralof smiled and tossed the Axe back to Jy’ma. "The chains will drag, but it's safer than having us pull you along." 

   "Myrna was here, but she has moved on ahead.” Jy’ma said. “I feel our path shall be very clear with her in front.” 

   "Find yourself some weapons, the Gods help those who help themselves after all." Ulfric said.

   Einar rummaged through the bodies of the imperials and picked out two Imperial made blades. He handed one to Tacita. "If we want to get out alive, we'll have to watch each other's backs." He said. She accepted the sword, though awkwardly wielded it. 

   The party started off down the hallway to a flight of stairs, a rumbling noise reverberated from above and the keep vibrated.

   "Come on, let's get out of here before the dragon brings the tower down on our heads!" Ralof shouted, urging the party to hurry.

   Another corridor was met, but before they can head through, the roof came  caving in and blocked them off. 

  Ralof scratched his head.  "Damn, that dragon doesn't give up easy." 

   Tacita opened the only door that led into a room, she froze in place when she entered. Einar looked past her to see the place littered with burns on the walls and imperials either maimed or turned to piles of ash.

   "Did the fires of the dragon make it into here as well?" Ralof questioned. 

   Jy'ma laughed at this comment. "A dragon is the least of one's problems while in the keep. This is surely the work of Myrna. It seems her reputation is truth. Jy’ma would not like to be the one she harbors ill intent against." 

   "We are lucky she is on the side of The Stormcloaks then." Ulfric said.

   Jy'ma snickered. "She is on the side that benefits her, not all of these ashes belong to Imperials." 

   "Well, if there was anything we could take around here it's all destroyed now." Ralof said. 

   The keep shook and another cave in was heard elsewhere. 

   "We need to find our way out of here." Uflric commanded "This dragon is determined to have this tower down by the sound of it." 

   Ralof found a door that conveniently led them to the opposite side of the cave-in and the group pressed on through The Keep. They eventually reached a room that had been heavily burnt, with cages for prisoners bent and the armory destroyed. It met the same fate as the room before, with ashes sprawled everywhere.

   "Troll's blood, it's a torture room!" Ralof said.

   Einar heard what sounded like a man crying. He checked the area of the noise to find one Stormcloak was spared, whimpering behind a weapons supply. 

     Ralof knelt by the man. "Are you alright brother?" 

   "No, no that woman.. she's a monster." the Stormcloak bawled. "I don't know what's worse, the dragon or her. I only survived by hiding here!" 

   "I don't think she meant to attack the Stormcloaks, though they may have got in her way.” 

   The Stormcloak peaked his head over the counter.

   Ulfric pulled at the man.  “On your feet soldier, this fight isn't over yet."

   "What if that woman is still out there?” The Stormcloak said.

   “Trust me, she is one of us."

   The man struggled to find his strength and ultimately refused to join the group. 

    “Nothing we can do. This man’s lost his way.” Ulfric said. 

    The group headed out of the torture room without the Stormcloak. They past a hallway of prisons, where the cages had broken from the dragon’s constant rampage, or Myrna's magic, whichever got to it first. It was uncertain if the prisoners all got out, died, or if they had occupants at all. Further down were cages that hung from the roof which encased the skeletons of long forgotten prisoners. They came upon a broken wall of The Keep that connected to a cave system. Einar heard the voices of men further down. 

   "We need to wait until General Tullius arrives." 

   "I'm not waiting to be killed by a dragon, we need to fall back!" Another voice called back. 

   "Just give the General some time!" 

   The argument persisted. 

   Sparks of light flickered through the shadows accompanied by a staticky noise. 

   "What was that?" A voice shouted. 

   A powerful burst of thunder boomed through the corridors, cracking noises replaced the sounds of an argument. When the group did reach where the voices were coming from, Myrna was walking past the still smoldering bodies. She must have heard the group moving toward her as she threw her hand up at them, but lowered it when she realized who they were.

  Jy'ma clapped his hands.  "So nice to see a legend among vampires stay true to the stories."

   "I don't have time to be caught up in Civil Wars I don't care for,” Myrna said. “If anybody else tries to interrupt me from finding my friend I won’t be as gentle." Myrna turned to the group "That includes you all as well, there are worse things than death where I am from." 

   Myrna made everyone go quiet. Einar could feel the energy she radiated was on a whole other league. Einar had never seen such eyes on a vampire before, judging by how powerful she was he deduced that she may have even been born a few eras ago. 

   "That dragon is still out there, we should keep moving." Ralof said, breaking the silence. 

   They continue into the cave reaching a drawbridge with the sound of rushing water on the other side, they puledl the lever to lower the bridge, and ran acros. After Tacita passed another cave-in occurred nearly landing on top of her. The drawbridge was completely mangled underneath a rock, Ulfric was separated from the group. 

   "Keep moving, I'll find a way out!" Ulfric yelled through a small crack above the boulders.

    "We can get you out of there, Jarl Ulfric!" Ralof shouted. 

   "There's no time, keep moving, I'll see you back in Windhelm! I don't plan on dying here!" 

   Ulfric's footsteps trailed off and the party was left without their leader, though If any Imperials came looking for them they'd be stopped by the rocks making them safe for now. 

   "May Talos shield you from all harm, my Jarl." Ralof said.

   Einar took notice of the stream of water nearby.. “That water probably leads out of the cave, it’s our best bet at the moment since there’s no other way back."   
   "Where the water flows, so shall we." Jy'ma said. 

   They reach a large open space in the cave filled by giant spider nests. Myrna halted the party and moved one hand toward the center of the nest. A large area of fire spread from her palm to the webbing and set the entire nest ablaze, the screeching of spiders howled throughout the cave. The group passed closely behind Myrna in a line through the burning nest. They continued on until they could feel a cold breeze, the river flowed opposite of the wind, they continue following where the cold air entered until they passed through to the open wilds of Skyrim once more.

   The relief from the party as they could once again see the sun. A loud roar startled them,  they got down and let the dragon pass off into the mountains.  
   "Looks like he's gone for good." Ralof said. 

   "What a chance happening we have encountered in there.” Jy’ma joked. He paced around for a moment and breathed in the fresh air. “Well, as much as this one would enjoy staying with you all, this is where we must part ways." He looked back and gave one last smirk before he headed off into the nearby woods. 

   "I've got somewhere to be as well.” Myrna said. She mumbled something to herself as she started northward.

   Ralof, Tacita and Einar were the only three left, and they were finally free from the hell they'd just went through. 

“You can follow me if you’ve got nowhere else to go. Riverwood is just a bit away.” Ralof said.

The two accepted, aware they hadn’t much else to lose.


	3. Three Toed Discount

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After making it safely out of Helgen, Ralof suggested Einar and Tacita go back to a village he used to live at that's nearby. The Three head out to hopefully find some well needed rest.

# Chapter 3

## Three Toed Discount

 

 

 

 

 

 

###             Einar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rain fell continuously off and on. The three had been trotting through the muddy roads for a while. It was beginning to get dark out. walking in silence for hours, the sound of Tacita’s dragging chains constantly rang in Einar’s ears. She was shivering cold which made her walk slower than Einar and Ralof. 

 

   “You know,” Ralof started to speak which made Einar happy to have something to drown out those rattling chains. “You should go to Windhelm and join the fight to free Skyrim. You’ve seen the true face of the Empire here today.” 

 

  “I’ve never been one to partake in sides of conflict.” Einar said.

 

   “I don’t think I want to go near anymore of the Empire.” Tacita shook out. 

 

   “You wouldn’t have to run from them with the Stormcloaks behind your back. You’d always have protection.” Ralof continued to insist. “Listen, If anyone will know what the coming of the Dragons means, it’s Ulfric.” Ralof’s conversation wasn’t getting any positive responses, it was clear he realized this and chose to drop the topic. Eventually his eye caught a massive ruin in the distance, and he halted to point. “See that ruin up there?”

 

   Tacita and Einar stopped to look. 

 

 Ralof’s eyes shifted around the mountain. “Bleak Falls Barrow. I never understood how my sister could stand living in the shadow of that place.” 

 

   “I guess you get used to it.” Einar said. 

 

   Ralof looked back at him, nodded his head then started walking downhill. “My sister is a strong woman, but she doesn’t understand the horrors of an ancient ruin. I often had nightmares of the Draugr coming down and creeping through my window at night.” 

 

   Ralof’s stories had dragged on for a while filling the silence, until the rain started pouring down and night had crept upon them. It was hard to see where they were going. Einar and Ralof kept slipping in the mud, Tacita seemed to have good eyes for the night as she was easily able to keep her balance and stay on track of the roads. Further down the hill a stone path formed which made it easier to traverse. Tacita spotted three upright stones shaped like thick fingers, each standing at roughly four meters. The stones were wrapped with iron bands, the middle being separated by a large hole. They were lined up together, on an old slab, weather worn and cracked in various places where vines protruded. The hill they overlooked led to a large lake that reflected the moons and tall trees that surrounded it. Further beyond the lake were mountains that stretched across the horizon creating Skyrim’s natural border.  

 

   “What are those things?” Tacita asked. 

 

   Ralof raised his eyebrows at her as if he was surprised she didn't know. “These are the Guardian Stones, three of the thirteen ancient stones that dot Skyrim’s landscape.” 

 

   Tacita walked up to one of them and felt the designs etched into it. “There’s people carved into the bottom of these.” She said. Her fingers skimmed the lines that depicted a muscular man with a horned helmet, an axe in one hand and a shield in the other. 

 

   Ralof walked beside her. “They’re based off the constellations, from the stars at night. I’m sure your family has shown you those before?”

 

   Tacita’s smile went away quickly and she reverted to her reserved state. Ralof was visibly ashamed of what he said. “I wasn’t taught about the constellations.” She said quietly. 

 

   “I see,” Ralof scratched his head. “Well, I’ll teach you these for now, and maybe another night we can go outside and see more.” Ralof said with a smile. 

 

   Tacita attempted to smile back, but it could barely be considered one. 

 

   “That one there is The Warrior, beside that is The Mage, and the one far off to the left is The Thief.” Ralof moved closer to the stones. “People of Skyrim come from all over to pray to the stone of their choice. A spirit of the stone is said to guide your life to fit whichever constellation you prayed to. It won't activate to just anybody though, and it isn't clear what they expect of people. That hole will light up and shoot to the sky if it accepts your prayer. Would you like to give it a go?” 

 

   “How would I do that?” Tacita asked. 

 

   “I can show you.” Einar offered. He stepped up to The Warrior stone, knelt down, bowed his head and shuts his eyes. “Guardian stone, accept my prayer so that I may be blessed under your guiding light.”

 

   The stone chimed and a bright red ball of light formed in the center, the image of The Warrior brightened to lines linked by dots mimicking the constellation that would be in the sky. A calming hum rang out as a pillar of light shot into the heavens. Einar was shocked at the stone activating to him, as they'd never actually done that before.

 

   “Wow, that’s amazing!” Tacita exclaimed, her smile returned to her face. "I wonder if they like me too?" 

 

   She swiftly knelt by The Thief stone and bowed her head as Einar did. She let out the same chant before she hopped backwards hoping to watch the light form in the center. Just as quickly as it did for Einar, the stone was taken over by a bright green light before blasting off into the sky. “Yes! It lit up for me!” Tacita joyfully laughed out.

 

   "Looks like the Nine have blessed both of you, it's no wonder we made it out of Helgen alive." Ralof said. He attempted to try his luck at one of the stones but it didn’t even attempt to light up. 

 

   "Damn thing!" Ralof cursed making Tacita laugh at him. 

 

   Einar contemplated what Jy’ma had told him in the carriage. After witnessing how she acted, he found it near impossible to believe Tacita killed her family. He wouldn’t dare ask her now, he knew there had to be a deeper story to whatever brought her to Skyrim. Her family’s death might not have been her fault at all, if that even played a role. 

 

   “We should keep moving.” Ralof said. “Hopefully we’ll be back by supper. Remember, this isn't Stormcloak territory. If we’re ahead of the news from Helgen we should be fine as long as we don’t do anything stupid. If we run into any Imperials, just let me do the talking, all right?” 

 

   The three continued down the road. the faint sound of rushing water flowed into their ears, and the path narrowed down to a curve to follow the course of a river. 

 

   “We’re close to the village,” Ralof said. “that river flows all the way passed Whiterun and doubles through Windhelm, then Riften."

 

   "Does Skyrim have those big man eating Slaughterfish too?" Tacita asked staring intently at the water. 

 

   "We do," Ralof said. "but there aren't any Slaughterfish in these waters though, mostly Salmon. Riverwood has always had fresh fish to eat.”

 

   Not too much after, torch lights were seen burning in the distance. Slowly, the small village of Riverwood appeared to them. The village was quiet, the torches served to light up the road, however, nobody was walking around on them. Not even a guard watched over the place. A decently made mossy wall greeted them as they entered, serving as the village gate and minor protection. The buildings themselves were well taken care of, a few houses were set up near the entrance complimented by a general store as the three walked passed under the mossy wall. an Inn for travelers stood at the opposite end of the village by a bathhouse near the bank of the river. A lumber mill sat atop a small isolated island inside  the river behind a large house. The sound of the water rushing was relaxing, but Einar found it strange to see a village unprotected by at least a local warrior. It concerned him to think how the village would defend itself from an attack. 

 

   “Looks like nobody here knows what’s happened yet." Ralof whispered. "Come on, if we’re on time Gerdur should be awake.” Ralof pushed through to the back of the village, leading them to a much larger and nicer house than the rest. It had its own farm and cattle sleeping out front getting soaked in the rain. They headed up to the door and Ralof gave a few knocks. They waited for an answer, but nobody came to the door. 

 

   “I hope they’re still awake.” Ralof said. 

 

   He gave another knock on the door and started to get antsy, he didn’t want to shout in case the neighbors were asleep. He gave a few more knocks before finally giving up. 

 

   “Perhaps we should check in at the Inn for tonight?” He said.

 

   Just as the trio went to leave they heard the door unlocking. It opened to a thick man with blonde hair and mustache that fell to his chin. He was held an axe as if he were expecting trouble. 

 

   “Hod?” Ralof said. “It’s me, Ralof.” 

 

   “Ralof! Oh thank Talos.” Hod said, lowering his axe in relief. 

 

   “Brother!” A woman in the back shouted as she pushed Hod away to hug Ralof. “Mara’s mercy it’s good to see you!” 

 

   She was as tall as Ralof, had his same hair, and even his large nose. Einar couldn’t tell if Ralof looked womanly or she looked manly. She backed off Ralof for a moment. 

 

   “But is it safe for you to be here?” She whispered.

 

   “Gerdur..” Ralof tried to interrupt

 

   “We heard Uflric had been captured.”

 

   “Gerdur.”

 

   “Won’t the Imperials be looking for you?”

 

   “Gerdur!”

 

   “You’re all beaten and bruised, what happened?”

 

   “Gerdur! We’re safe. At least now we are.”

 

   “Hurry, come inside before someone sees you.”

 

    Gerdur rushed the three of them into the house. The place was homely, stone walls, flooring, and roof of hay. The kitchen was directly in front of them, a chandelier hung over a well crafted fireplace, tables of cooking ingredients were pushed against the walls on either side. Candles in the shape of horns lined the banister of the fireplace. A large slaughterfish was mounted on the wall, its long snout was open displaying its full rows of sharp teeth. The floor was comforted by a fur rug,  to the left was a dinner table with three chairs and the set like they just finished eating. A young boy who looked a lot like Gerdur came running from the table. 

 

   “Uncle Ralof!” The boy shouted. 

 

   “Look at you, almost a grown man! Won’t be long before you’re joining the fight yourself!” Ralof laughed. 

 

   Before the child could pester Ralof more, Gerdur cut in. “Frodnar. You need to be getting ready for bed.” 

 

   “Aw, mama, I want to stay and talk to Uncle Ralof!” Frodnar whined. 

 

   “He’ll be here when you wake up in the morning, now off with you.” 

 

   Frodnar wistfully walked to a room on the right wing of the house. 

 

   “Come, sit by the fire and tell us what’s going on.” Gerdur said directing them to the table. “And who are these two, your comrades?”

 

   The group piled around the table, Tacita warmed herself vigorously by the fire. A dog neared here from behind and nudged her legs and whined. 

 

“Don’t mind stump dear, he’s an old dog. He won’t hurt you.”  Gerdur said as he pulled two chairs over. 

 

Tacita moved away from the dog but it continued to pester her. Einar didn’t find much comfort in the charis Gerdur had, but it was better than walking outside any longer. 

 

   “Not comrades just yet," Ralof said. "I'd like to call them my friends. Tacita and Einar, if it weren’t for them I’d be long dead by now.” 

 

   “You all look really done in, what happened?” Hod asked. 

 

   “Well the news you heard about Ulfric was true.” Ralof says “The Imperials ambushed us at Darkwater Crossing, like they knew exactly where we’d be. That was... two days ago now? We stopped in Helgen and I thought it was all over. Had us lined to the Headsman’s block and ready to start chopping.” 

 

   “The Cowards!” Gerdur said.

 

   “They wouldn’t dare give Ulfric a fair trial." Ralof continued. "Treason, and for fighting for your own people! All of Skyrim would have seen the truth then.. but then out of nowhere, a dragon attacked!” 

 

   Gerdur and Hod looked at each other in shock. 

 

   “You don’t mean a real live..” Gerdur’s voice trembled. 

 

   “I can hardly believe it myself, and I was there.” Ralof said. “As strange as it sounds, we'd be dead if not for that dragon. In the confusion, we managed to slip away. Are we really the first to make it to Riverwood?” 

 

   Gerdur nodded. “Nobody else has come up the south road today, as far as I know."

 

   “Good. Maybe we can lay up for a while. I hate to put your family in danger, Gerdur, but...”

 

   "Nonsense. You and your friends are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. Let me worry about the Imperials. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine."

 

   "Thanks, sister. I knew we could count on you."

 

   "Did anyone else escape? Did Ulfric..."

 

   “We traveled through an underground cave with him, but we were separated halfway through. I'm sure he made it out. It'll take more than a dragon to stop Ulfric Stormcloak."

 

   “I bet so. The guest room is open for the three of you, there’s only two beds so I hope one of you don’t mind sleeping on a roll.”

 

   “It will be no problem. Rather the floor, than in another Imperial Carriage.”

 

   "Your friend here is chained up pretty good."

 

   Gerdur grabbed Tacita's chains and rattled them. "Hod, do you think we have anything to get these shackles off her?" 

 

   "I'll check the sawmill for something." Hod said.

 

   "Come on, I'll take you to the guest room." Ralof said. He pushed himself up and headed to a door nearby the table, Einar and Tacita follow behind. It was a tight cornered room with only two beds and a nightstand for each. A window divided the beds evenly, giving room plenty of space to walk around but no room for more furniture.

 

   Ralof settled himself on the floor. “Hardwood won’t be too different for me," Ralof said. "Sometimes my shield brothers would hide each others bedroll to make one of us sleep without covers. We’d call them milk drinkers and pranked them for weeks if they complained.” He proceeded to struggle finding a good position to lay. 

 

   Tacita had already thrown herself in a bed and was staring out the window toward the moons. Einar took a moment to look out with her. The sound of the rain mixed with a pleasant view of the moons peaking through the clouds. The sight complimented the feel of relaxation presented to them.

 

   “Full moons should be coming in the few days.” Einar said. 

 

   Tacita continued looking out the window without a word, she was drifting in and out of sleep. Einar's eyes heavied, watching hers open and close. He was dreaming before he even realized.

  
  


   In the morning Einar woke feeling amazingly rested, the sun was shining into the room, birds were chirping, People were heard outside having conversation, and children were playing. Tacita wasn’t in her bed anymore, and Ralof wasn't on the floor. Einar got up and walked out of the guest room to find everyone having breakfast. They looked at him and smiled. 

 

   “You were sleeping like a babe! We didn’t want to wake you from your beauty sleep.” Ralof joked. 

 

   “We all went to the bathhouse early to avoid the people.” Hod said. 

 

   Einar took notice that Tacita did appear noticeably cleaner, all the dirt had been washed out and her hair was brushed to the side away from her face, it looked even shorter. Her chains were off, but they left marks around her wrists from how tight they were. Now that she was cleaned up she looked even younger than she did previously, she was out of her dress and into something more fitting of a common villager. She still had the same look of worry on her face even though was simply eating breakfast. 

 

   “They’re free to use. So long as you don’t mind sharing the place with our local drunk, Embry. It's just across from the Inn.” Gerdur said. 

 

   “I’ve shared baths with stranger men than drunks, it’s no problem for me.” Einar replied. 

 

   'Would you like to eat with us? I'm sure you're quite hungry." Gerdur offered. 

 

   "No thanks, I'll eat after I'm cleaned."

 

   "We probably have some spare clothes you can use. Hod has been growing out a lot of them lately." she said, then glanced at Hod, who gave her a glare back. 

 

   Einar agreed and Hod headed to his bedroom, returning with an outfit. Einar wondered if it will even fit him at all, but didn’t say anything. He thanked them and headed to the Bathhouse.

 

   Walking the roads of Riverwood in the morning made the place immensely more beautiful than it was at night, the people were outside enjoying themselves made the place impressively compared to when the night was still fresh. When he neared the Inn it was quite busy with people inside and outside, the ambiance could be heard from miles around from how loud they got. There was a group gathered nearby an old woman. Einar stopped to take a listen.

 

   "A dragon! I saw a dragon!" she shouted.

 

   "What? What is it now, mother?" A young man cut through the crowd and asked. 

 

   "It was as big as the mountain, and black as night. It flew right over the barrow."

 

   "Dragons now, is it? Please, mother. If you keep on like this everyone in town will think you're crazy. And we've got better things to do than listen to more of your fantasies."

 

   "You'll see! It was a dragon! It'll kill us all and then you'll believe me!" 

 

   The crowd dispersed. Some were concerned of what she had said, while others failed to even consider the old woman's words. Einar not only knew the truth, he lived through it. He brushed the memory away and continued onto the Bathhouses. Once he entered the building, the temperature raised to the steam in the air. the baths were divided between men and women, there weren't any rooms--just divides by curtains. Large wooden tubs were filled with hot water and ready for anybody to get in. There were plenty of people inside, but Einar quickly found a spot to wash up. A drunk, man that had to be Embry was wandering around naked, and asking people if they had any change for a drink. It was such an odd place to be asking for something like that, and it made Einar chuckle. He walked out of the baths feeling refreshed. Ralof was waiting for him, when they locked eyes he waved Einar over.

 

   “Hod's clothes fit you well enough, your muscles make up for his fat." Ralof jested. "I thought we could grab a drink at the Sleeping Giant, Tacita is at the Sawmill helping out Gerdur and Hod. it’ll be just us." 

 

   Einar accepted his offer, and they walked into the nearby Inn. 

 

   The place had just enough people to make it lively. The inside was shaped like a rectangle, a long fire pit in the center of the room gave off heat to the inn. Bench tables lined the walls, filled up with guests. Rooms for patrons stretched along the walls and different animal heads decorated the open spaces on the walls. A bartender stood behind the counter at the end of the Inn surrounded by ingredients, ale, and dishes. Einar found the place much cleaner compared to the Braidwood Inn he frequented in Eastmarch. A bard played music to some of the patrons with his lute, though it didn’t look like he's getting much attention. A group of four men garbed in leather and fur armor stood out from the rest. A Dark Elf seemed to be their leader, laughing about how much money they were going to make off an artifact that they had. Einar knew mercenaries as a double edged sword, they can get a job done, but the highest bidder decided their morals.

 

   Ralof nudged Einar to follow him to the bar.

 

   “What can I get for you two?” The Bartender asked, with a gruff voice. He was muscular for a bartender with a rough face and long black hair pulled back to keep it away from food. 

 

   “Two ales for my friend and me here, and whatever special is on the menu today.” Ralof said. 

 

   “‘Special’ and two Ales, no problem." The Bartender said. He quickly passed them their drinks and turned to search for ingredients around the kitchen behind him.

 

   “Orgnar.” A woman from the right called. Fair skinned, a few heads shorter than Einar, a small face and golden hair put into a ponytail that revealed all of the grey hairs and wrinkles on her face, her blue eyes were made brighter by brown eyeshadow. “Orgnar! Are you listening?” She called again coming up to the bar.

 

“Hard not to.” Orgnar replied while preparing the fish for Einar’s meal. 

 

“The Ale’s going bad.” 

 

Again, Orgnar didn’t answer. 

 

“Did you hear me?”

 

“Yup, Ale’s going bad.”

 

"I guess you don't have potatoes stuck in your ears after all. Just make sure we get a new batch soon."

 

   The woman returned to the room off to the right and shut the door. Orgnar continued cooking like nothing happened. 

 

Einar and Ralof looked at eachother and proceeded to push away their drinks.

 

“You don’t have to worry, your Ale’s are good.” Orgnar said. But the damage had been done.

 

   “So, Einar. We haven't gotten to know each other much.” Ralof said. “What brought you to Darkwater Crossing that night? You a miner?” 

 

   “No." Einar replied. "I made a living off selling meat and skins to the Braidwood Inn, in Kynesgrove. I hunted too far out that night and it was too late to walk back.” 

 

   “Kynesgrove, eh?” Ralof said. "I've been there a few times with the Stormcloaks. It's supposed to be a sacred ground, for Kynareth. I don’t know why somebody would set up a town there." 

 

   "Place was founded by two girls, Ganna and Gemma.." Einar began. "They're from Cyrodiil, like Tacita. They didn't even know that Kynesgrove was sacred ground. so when they built their sawmill they found out they couldn't use most of their land because of how close they were to the grove. After a while people came by to help settle a village there. Now those two work the mines trying to pay back their debt. I used to sit around and listen to them fight about how terrible their placement for the mill was." 

 

   Einar and Ralof shared a laugh. 

 

   “Look, I’m going to level with you." Ralof said. "I’ll be leaving before night falls again for Windhelm. I have to check in to see if Ulfric made it back, and I've spent too long here already. You’re from around there, we could make it a trip for two. If you want to come with that is, I wouldn’t mind a traveling buddy.”

 

   “I’m not trying to get involved with the Stormcloaks, Ralof.” Einar said.

 

   “I understand that, war isn’t for everybody after all. Even if you don’t want to join the Stormcloaks, it’s safer to travel with somebody you can trust.” 

 

Orgnar placed a meal in front of them. Einar's stomach growled just looking at it. Ralof slid the plate over to Einar. “I’ll give you some time to think about it.” Ralof placed a bag of gold on the countertop. “There’s enough in here for our orders, I have to get packing. Do you mind picking up a few things from the trader for my sister?”

 

Einar accepted and Ralof passed him a list of things to buy before he headed out of the Inn. Einar began digging into the fish, he couldn’t help but overhear the group of mercenaries talk about heading up the mountain to start up their biggest steal. They noisily got up and rough housed a bit before they made it out the door. Einar turned around and watched them leave. 

 

   “Yeah, I don’t like the look of them either.” Orgnar said as he washed a dish. “It’s not uncommon for us to get rough looking mercenaries, but these guys remind me more of bandits than anything. They’ve been staying at the Inn for a couple days now. We’ve had a few complaints, but their money’s good. So long as they don’t try to start any fights I’ll allow them to stay.” 

 

   Einar turned back to Orgnar and took a drink of his Ale. It’s definitely gone bad. “Thanks for the meal, how much am I paying?”

 

   “Huh?” Orgnar grunted. “Truth be told, when your friend asked for a special I dunno what the heck he was talking about. So I just made whatever was laying around.”

 

   “Oh.”

 

   “Yeah, I’ll just have you pay for the Ales.” 

 

Einar left enough gold for the two drinks. He pulled out the list Ralof gave him and headed out.

 

   Einar looked over at the sawmill to see if Tacita was still there. She acquired a jacket to hide herself from the winds. She seemed to be enjoying herself, and made attempts to play with Stump and Frodnar, but the dog was clearly still bothering her. Einar got the impression that Riverwood might be a good place for her to settle down while he went back to Kynesgrove with Ralof. The girl had been through enough since coming over to Skyrim, a place like this was a perfect start. He headed into the Riverwood Trader. A small shop that the owners also lived in made evident by the stairs leading to the next floor. There was more hunted game inside than anything else that lined the walls and counter. Upon entering Einar found that he walked into an argument between a beautiful woman with long black hair, a Wood Elf with grey hair, and a middle aged man with a goatee. 

 

   "Well one of us has to do something!" The woman balled her fists as if she were ready to fight the middle aged man. 

 

   “I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!" The man retorted.

 

   "Well what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!" The woman placed her hands on her hips, the Elf in the back looked frightened. 

 

   “We are done talking about this!” The man shouted, banging his hand on the counter. he looked over to see Einar. “Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that."

 

   “Did something happen?” Einar asked.

 

   "Yes, we did have a bit of a... break-in.” The man said. “But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw." 

 

   “I can help you get the claw back.”

 

   "You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back, my name's Lucan by the way, Lucan Valerius, over there is my sister Camilla. Seriously you’re a lifesaver if you get it back.” 

 

The elf in the back got up “I can assist in retrieving the Claw as well. It would have been tough with just my bow. Since somebody with some  _ real muscle _ came I can see we’d make a gold team. I don't like to brag, but I once took down a bear at three hundred yards. In a blizzard." 

 

   Einar was pretty impressed by his claim, but the validity was questionable.

 

   “Faendal, I don’t really care who goes so long as you can get it!” Lucan said. “Head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town, that’s supposedly where the thing is supposed to be used at. I'm no warrior so I never went myself." 

 

   Einar nodded and beckoned his new partner. 

 

   "So, this is your plan, Lucan?" Camilla said before Einar exited. 

 

   "Yes. So now you don't have to go, do you?" Lucan replied. 

 

   “Oh really? Well, I think our new helpers here need a guide." 

 

   "What...no...I...Oh, by the Eight, fine! But only to the edge of town!"

 

   Camilla happily pranced over and opened the door for Einar. As they left Tacita spotted Einar and rushed over excitedly. Camilla and Faendal continued outside the village wall, past the Inn. Tacita pulled out a dagger seemingly out of nowhere and startled Einar. 

 

   “Look what I made!" She said. "I met a blacksmith named Alvor, he taught me how to make these. Well, It’s not really from scratch but he let me finish the one he started.” 

 

   Einar took the weapon from her and gently ran his finger along the blade. “This is actually really well made, you may have a knack for smithing in you.” Einar said.

 

   “Are you going somewhere?” She asked.

 

   “Yes, I’m going to go help these people get their claw back from some bandits.”. 

 

   Tacita’s smile left her. “Where did they go?”

 

   Einar pointed up to the mountains. “The ruins, Bleak Falls Barrow.” 

 

   Tacita’s eyes widened to his comment. 

 

   “Did I hear you saying you’re going to Bleak Falls Barrow?” A man called from behind Tacita. 

 

   Einar looked over to see the the blacksmith Tacita mentioned, leaning over the balcony of his house. His big gut pressed hard against the wooden beams, smoke powdered his sweaty face and made his hair appear greenish in tint. 

 

   “I hope you don’t plan on going up in the ruins wearing nothing but a tunic and pants?” 

 

   Einar looked down at himself. The only protection he had was the sword at his side.

 

   “I can’t have you heading to danger dressed like that." Alvor continued. " You must be Tacita's friend.  A friend of hers is a friend of mine. I’ll loan you some armor and you can pay me back for it another time.” 

 

   Einar was surprised at the kindness of the man. Tacita took Einar’s hand and pulled him up to a forge connected to Alvor’s house. Alvor rummaged through a few chests of goods until he found some old armor. It was heavily scarred, and dented, probably hadn’t been worn in years. He took his time fitting Einar with the iron boots and gauntlets. Alvor chose studded armor that happen to fit similarly to Einar’s old hide armor. Alvor strapped a pauldron of leather around Einar’s right shoulder and fastened it with a steel plate. As a finishing touch, he handed Einar a helmet, it was just as beaten as the armor and had horns that curved inward to his face.

 

   “There, now you look like a true Nord warrior.” Alvor said. 

 

   Einar thanked him for his help. 

 

   "You should keep the dagger." Tacita said. "It might come in handy?" 

 

   Einar smiled at her. She wished him good luck and he headed off to retrieve the Golden Claw from Bleak Falls Barrow.


End file.
